After two unproductive seasons in burgundy-and-gold, the Washington Redskins released Brandon Lloyd yesterday. It’s been two winters since the Skins traded for Lloyd, a five-year pro who is still considered to have major upside. But he never produced in Washington, which I blame more on the stuborness of his bosses than I do anything Lloyd did (or didn’t) do.   

But even with that said, I can hear the jokes being made now. He caught 24-passes in two-years they’ll say. He made $400,000 a catch they’ll suggest. He was a bust they’ll declare. And they will be wrong. They, in this case, is the vast majority of the Washington, D.C. based media.

Was he unproductive? Obviously. Did catching 24-passes in two-seasons  make Lloyd worth the major money Washington invested in him? Obviously not. But he didn’t not catch balls because he was dropping passes. He didn’t make an impact because he was never given a chance to.

The way I see it, you can throw Lloyd into the same category as former Redskins’ quarterback Patrick Ramsey. Each was never given a chance to develop with the Redskins. And each was wronged in the end.

Lloyd was always the first player to help up a running back who had just been tackled. He was the first player to adjust his quarterbak’s shoulder-pads after he’d been hit so hard that his jersey became lodged under them. On multiple occasions he had major blocks to spring long touchdown runs. And while there aren’t any stats for any of those tasks, he did them. He did them - blocked and helped teammates up - while fans booed him.

They booed him because he hadn’t scored - and in fact he never did as a Redskin. They booed him because he wasn’t catching passes. But he had about as much to do with his lack of production as your or I did. He was on the bench because somebody that matters in the Redskins’ hierarchy, whether that be Dan Snyder or Joe Gibbs or Al Sanuders I don’t know, didn’t like him.

There’s a notion circulating that he conducted himself poorly on gameday. I disagree with that. If he ruffled feathers behind the scenes, okay. But I don’t know that he did. He once threw his helmet during a sideline shouting match in his first-season in Washington. I can name a dozen receivers who have done that. Heck, Michael Westrbook cost the Redskins a playoff-birth by doing that, and he didn’t miss a series.

The other knock on Lloyd is that he gave up on an interception after a cornerback at jumped above him to catch a Jason Campbell pass. Replays showed Lloyd walking while the cornerback ran away from him. That wasn’t the Illiniois product’s finest moment, I’ll concur, but it shouldn’t have garnered his being thrown into the doghouse for good.

If you come home late from curfew and you get grounded, you don’t stay grounded for teh rest of your life. Right? Not in Washington, where Lloyd was seemingly grounded for his entire Redskins life. His being on the sideline would be okay - and a non-issue - if the receivers the Redskins had playing were all on top of their games. But they weren’t.

Santana Moss missed time last year. Antwan Randle El missed time last year. And still, Lloyd’s time never came. A 36-year-old receiver who was a member of the Redskins’ organization when they won the Super Bowl 16-years ago was signed because the ‘Skins were so desperate for help at the receiver position. That player, Keenan McCardell, ended up with more passes thrown his way last year than Lloyd did.

I’m not saying that Lloyd is an angel. I’m sure there are a few moments from his tenure in the nation’s capital that he’d like to have back. But we don’t ask our athletes to be angels. The guy got hurt last year - ending his season and in turn his career with the Redskins - while diving for a pass in practice. He broke his collar-bone durnig the play, as he laid-out for a touchdown reception. That doesn’t sound like the type of guy I want to keep chained to the bench on Sunday.

I don’t know what’s next for Lloyd, but I can say this. He’s going to have a lot more success with his next team than he did with the Redskins, and that won’t be because he’s doing anything differently. That success will be a result of his actually being given a chance, something he never received here.

The Washington Redskins released Brandon Lloyd yesterday.